Surfing is an immensely popular sport with a very large following. Over the years, surfboard design has improved, giving surfers the ability to perform more complicated moves. Nowadays, surfers often attempt difficult maneuvers that actually send them airborne and make it very difficult for the surfer to stay on his or her board. There is a need for a device that assists a surfer in staying on the board during these difficult maneuvers, while still allowing the freedom of movement that is exceptionally important in the sport of surfing.
Devices currently exist that attempt to aid a surfer in maintaining board control during stunts, but none of them provide the convenience and ease of use that the present invention introduces. Many of these existing devices still require the surfer to expend energy and diverted attention to holding onto the board strap, creating a need for a less invasive and adaptable strap. The present invention satisfies the need as it introduces a unique sliding mechanism that enables the surfer to remain connected to the device while catching and riding a wave so that the surfer does not have to feel around for the device once already up on the board and riding a wave.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,208 issued to Corica describes a surfboard that has an elastic strap built into the board that is pulled on by a surfer in order to press his or her feet more firmly against the surfboard when doing aerial maneuvers. It differs from the present invention in that with Corica, the surfer must either keep hand contact with the device while preparing to stand up on the board, or reach down and find the strap when preparing to perform a difficult maneuver while riding the wave. This is just another step that a surfer has to address while also trying to successfully catch and ride a wave, and is quite detrimental. The present invention satisfies this aspect by introducing a device capable of securing the strap on an individual in such a way that does not interfere with the surfer's attempt to catch and ride a wave. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,113 issued to Morrison describes a hand grip that can be adhesively mounted to a surfboard that the surfer can hold onto. It differs from the present invention for the same reasons mentioned above.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,394 issued to Kagan describes a retractable surfboard binding device that aims to improve a surfer's control on the board by binding a surfer's feet to the surfboard, requiring absolutely no use of a surfer's hands. It differs from the present invention because Kagan focuses on securing the surfer's feet as opposed to providing a strap that can be attached to the surfer's body or hand.
Thus, there remains a need for a device that can detachably connect to both a surfboard and a surfer in order to facilitate the surfer in maintaining control when performing difficult surfing maneuvers while not interfering with the surfer's normal method. In this manner, the present invention uniquely enables a surfer to ride without the often-tedious task of feeling his or her hands around the surfboard during a stunt in order to find a strap as is the case with existing devices. Existing methods and devices cause some amounts of detriment to the performance. The present invention, however, solves this problem with a flexible strap that uses tension and connection points to afford the surfer additional control and stability.